Ever since Paul Walker‘s tragic passing, it’s been a given that Universal’s Fast & Furious 7 would be pushed back. The only question was when it’d be pushed back to. Officially, the studio’s avoided saying anything concrete. But now, thanks to star Vin Diesel, we have the answer: Spring 2015. Hit the jump for more details.

Production on Fast & Furious 7 has been on indefinite hold since the death of star Paul Walker on November 30, but sooner or later Universal is going to have to decide how it wants to proceed. Today, we have word that they’re making some tentative progress in that direction.

According to a new report, writer Chris Morgan is working to revise the screenplay so that the film can use the footage of Walker that’s already been shot, while simultaneously retiring his cop character Brian O’Conner. If all goes well, the shoot could resume in late January. Hit the jump for the latest on this tough situation.

Briefly: There’s still rampant speculation about what Universal will do with the seventh Fast and the Furious film, which is on hiatus while all involved figure out how to move the series forward in the wake of Paul Walker’s tragic death.

The assumption is that the movie will be significantly delayed, and that’s likely part of the reason Fox has pulled Dawn of the Planet of the Apes up to FF7‘s July 11, 2014 release date. The Apes sequel was originally set to arrive a week later, on July 18. While Rise of the Planet of the Apes did far better than expected in 2011, and Fox has every reason to think that this sequel will find an audience as well, it wouldn’t deliberately go head to head with a Fast/Furious sequel if it didn’t have to. This move is therefore the biggest indicator of prevailing belief that Universal will need a lot more time to figure out a plan for Fast 7.

Outside of Comic Con there has been no footage release from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, but the film features Gary Oldman, Keri Russell and Andy Serkis, with Matt Reeves (Let Me In, Cloverfield) directing. [Variety]

As family, friends, colleagues, and fans mourn Paul Walker‘s tragic death, the filmmakers behind Fast & Furious 7 are left with the unenviable task of figuring out how to proceed without one of their stars. One of the options being floated, according to a recent report, is to scrap the movie entirely and start over from the beginning.

In the meantime, the studio has hit upon one way to honor the star’s memory. A portion of the proceeds from home entertainment sales of Fast & Furious 6 will go toward Walker’s charity Reach Out Worldwide. Hit the jump for more on Universal’s plans for both movies.

Update: Universal issued a statement this morning saying that Fast & Furious 7 has been shut down for now. The future of the film in its current incarnation is unknown. Read the statement below.

Whether you want to read Keanu Reeves‘ regrets about the (non-existent) Constantinesequel, Robert Englund‘s hopes for a (theoretical) Elm Streetprequel, or Alfonso Cuaron‘s thoughts on the Harry Potterspinoff, there’s a little something for everyone here. Also after the jump:

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Vin Diesel keeps his fans happy by posting a lot of personal messages and little videos to Facebook. His latest, which is actually a “reward” to all the people who like him, is a behind the scenes video from the set of Fast & Furious 7. The film, directed by James Wan, also features Thai action phenomenon Tony Jaa, and this video features the two actors in a training session. Check it out below. Read More »